New center at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University will connect research on global regions and strengthen international collaboration
Prague, May 7, 2026 – Conflicts, crises, and social transformations in regions outside Europe are now significantly shaping developments within Europe itself. To better understand these processes, we need to integrate multiple disciplines and an international perspective. This is the focus of the new Center for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS), which is being established at CU Arts.
CenMAS will connect research across the humanities and social sciences and create a platform to study conflicts, crises, and transformations in regions that have traditionally been the focus of CU Arts: Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa. At the same time, it will broaden the international dimension of the research at the faculty and its involvement in academic networks.
“The establishment of CenMAS represents an important step in the development of area studies at the Faculty of Arts. It is not only an organizational change, but a deliberate shift toward a stronger interdisciplinary collaboration and systematic development of research. We aim to create an environment that will help maximize the potential of our existing departments and connect international experts with faculty researchers for long-term cooperation,” says the Dean of CU Arts, Eva Lehečková.
Establishing the center is a part of the broader strategic changes through which CU Arts responds to the changing nature of today’s world and research environment. The new structure builds on the faculty’s long-standing strength in area studies and at the same time integrates social science approaches and the emphasis on comparative research across regions.
Current interstate and intrastate conflicts across regions outside Europe as well as in Eastern Europe, growing domestic instability, polarization, intensified identity-based disputes, inter-institutional tensions, the return of military governments, and major shifts in great power strategies are among the key topics that will be addressed at CenMAS by both a new research group and existing researchers from CU Arts.
“We aim to build CenMAS as an open platform that connects researchers across the faculty and beyond. A key priority is the ability to combine in-depth knowledge of individual regions with broader comparative perspectives. This approach will allow us to better understand the dynamics of current conflicts, crises, and transformations worldwide. At the same time, we want to develop an environment that will provide long-term support for high-quality research projects and international collaboration,” says the Head of CenMAS, Radek Buben.
An important part of CenMAS is the newly established international research group, which will bring specialists from various global regions to the faculty and strengthen its involvement in international and institutional research networks.
“Our goal is to build a research environment that meets international standards and attracts leading scholars. We want to develop ambitious research projects, strengthen international collaboration, and bring new perspectives to the study of global regions. We see CenMAS as a space where different research traditions and approaches can meet and where a truly international academic environment can emerge,” says Mahmoud Farag, Head of the new CenMAS Research Group, who specializes in the study of politics in the Middle East from a comparative perspective. His research focuses on topics such as democratic backsliding, resisting autocratization, and political representation and polarization.
The establishment of the center is closely linked to the implementation of the ERA Chair in Multidisciplinary Area Studies (ERA-AREAS) project, funded by the Horizon Europe program under the ERA Chair scheme. The project provides both financial and institutional support for the development of new research structures.
“The ERA-AREAS project enables the Faculty of Arts to implement changes that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. It provides not only funding for project, research, and administrative activities, but also inspiration and international experience that help connect our researchers with the global academic environment. In this sense, it is an important instrument for achieving the faculty’s goals in area studies,” adds Karel Kouba, Coordinator of the ERA-AREAS project.
The center is being established by the transformation of the existing Center for Ibero-American Studies and integrates the activities of the Center for Strategic Regions. The new organizational structure will make it possible to better connect research, teaching, and project activities and to create a stable foundation for the further development of area studies in a broader interdisciplinary context.
The official launch of CenMAS took place on May 6, 2026, in the Patriotic Hall of the Karolinum, Charles University, with the participation of representatives from the academic community and international partners.
For more information about CenMAS, please visit https://cenmas.ff.cuni.cz/
Czech version: HERE,
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On 22 May, the Charles University Faculty of Arts (CU FA) hosted the kick-off meeting of the ERA-AREAS project, supported by the prestigious ERA Chair scheme under the Horizon Europe programme. The five-year project aims to establish the Centre for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS), which will serve as a platform for research on current societal developments in non-European regions and contribute to further enhancement of the faculty’s international profile.
„Charles University has long strived to strengthen its research capacities in areas with global significance. I am very pleased that the Faculty of Arts has succeeded in securing the prestigious ERA-AREAS project, which is an excellent example of how international-level science can help address today’s pressing challenges,„ said Professor Milena Králíčková, Rector of Charles University, who had attended the introductory meeting.
ERA-AREAS will support Area Studies programmes currently offered at CU FA, including Asian, East European, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American Studies. “Our faculty’s Area Studies are based on a unique and longstanding tradition, grounded in linguistic, philological, and cultural approaches to research and teaching about non-European regions. Through its research, project, and popularisation activities, ERA-AREAS will help complement these fields and create a comprehensive humanities and social sciences framework. Our goal is to support our Area Studies in multiple ways, taking advantage of the faculty’s exceptional geographic coverage,” explained CU FA Dean Eva Lehečková.
A new research team will be formed as part of the project, tasked with connecting scholars from various humanities and social science disciplines and attracting top researchers from around the world. This ambition is supported by the project’s international advisory board – ASIAB – composed of leading globally recognized experts: Professor Paul Chaisty (University of Oxford), Dr Andrés Malamud (University of Lisbon), Professor Anja Osei (Freie Universität Berlin), Professor Nicola C. Pratt (University of Warwick), and Professor Marco Bünte (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg). These scholars represent a wide range of regional expertise and were selected for their experience in comparative research both within and across individual global regions, as comparative approach lies at the core of the ERA-AREAS project.
“The involvement of top-tier scholars will significantly enrich our Area Studies programmes and provide a vital boost to our PhD programmes and to the academic profile of Area Studies at CU FA as a whole. At the same time, we aim to systematically expand project support for further grant schemes and expand activities directed toward the general public, state administration, and future students,” said Associate Professor Karel Kouba, the project’s principal researcher and Vice-Dean for Project and Grant Management at CU FA. The project also draws inspiration from similar Area Studies centres at universities abroad.
The ERA Chair holder is Professor Mariana Llanos, leading expert on Latin American politics, affiliated with the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg – Germany’s largest research institution dedicated to Area Studies. “I am excited to be part of this transformative project focused on Area Studies at CU FA and to contribute to the creation of scholarly environment open to international and interdisciplinary collaboration. I believe ERA-AREAS will help foster a deeper understanding of the challenges currently faced by global regions,” said Professor Llanos.
Faculty of Arts, Charles University (CU FA), was awarded a grant for a prestigious ERA-AREAS project from the Horizon Europe programme (ERA Chair scheme). In collaboration with Prof Mariana Llanos from the German Institute of Global and Area Studies, the project team will carry out research of contemporary critical phenomena in non-European regions over the next five years. The project succeeded in a fierce international competition, being among 38 successful projects out of 158 submitted project proposals.
The project will allow CU FA to establish the Centre for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS), which will focus on research activities that cover current political and social developments in non-European regions. The centre will support independent research primarily aimed at understanding the context of current political and social crises in countries outside Europe. The Dean of CU FA, Dr Eva Lehečková, emphasises this aspect as well: “The ERA-AREAS project fits into the long-term strategy of CU FA to establish functional cooperation on many levels with state administration. It focuses on the joint effort to strengthen the ability of Czech society to respond to crises. Experts dealing with non-European regions and the management of CU FA are ready to enter into a more detailed discussion with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and other governmental agencies on developing a strategic approach to provide the Czech Republic with the necessary expertise in this area.”
The project will also seek to consolidate the organisational structure of area studies at CU FA and ensure that they maintain their excellent quality in a global comparison. In this way, the project builds on the long-standing and unique tradition of studying and researching non-European languages and cultures at CU FA. The diversity and scope of area studies at CU FA, which covers Asia, Africa, and Latin America, is unique amongst comparable universities.
“The newly established centre will enable better coordination of research activities among the individual disciplines at CU FA and will significantly enhance the synergy of both social scientific and humanities approaches to the study of non-European regions,” says the coordinator of the project, doc. Karel Kouba of the Centre for Ibero-American Studies at CU FA. CenMAS will also transform the existing Institute for the Study of the Strategic Regions (ISSR). Dr Radek Buben, chairman of the ISSR board, who participated in the preparation of the project, adds: “CenMAS is the future of the existing ISSR – it will enable its further development and, thus, strengthen the role of CU FA in Central and Eastern Europe in the field of international research on key global regions.”
Prof. Mariana Llanos, who will hold the prestigious ERA Chair on behalf of CU FA, is a lead research fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), a leading German research institute, and the Extraordinary Professor for Democratic Institutions in the Global South at the University of Erfurt. Prof. Llanos is a leading expert in comparative Latin American studies. After completing her PhD (University of Oxford), she researched the political institutions of Latin American countries and has extensive managerial experience. Among other things, she was the head of the Latin America Political Science Association (ALACIP). Her experience at the GIGA will be a valuable inspiration for the independent research development of area studies at CU FA. “I am honoured to hold the ERA Chair at Charles University. I look forward to collaborating on the modernisation and promotion of area studies in the Czech Republic and to contribute to the exchange of knowledge between the two institutions and between our societies,” concludes. Prof Mariana Llanos.